1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a construction of a suitcase with a hard casing, and particular to such suitcase construction which is foldable and may be folded into a flat shape, required for warehousing, shipping and storing same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Advances in scientific technology and the escalation in the pace of living have promoted the conversion of old-fashioned closed societies into open ones tending to greater interpersonal communications which are more frequently than ever before. Therefore, the social or even the international artery as a whole is booming, and "a remote plave as a neighbourhood" is not unthinkable anymore. In such open societies, interpersonal communications in the form of business tours or travel at home and abroad is quite usual and not uncommon. However, regardless of the nature of travel, some daily necessities or tools for business must be brought, and these necessities or tools have to be portable, so the portable handbag and suitcase (or travelling case) capable of containing these necessities or tools become a necessary appliance for travel away from home.
Generally speaking, most of handbags are soft and do not occupy too much space but cannot fully protect the articles contained therein because their shape is uncertain and they have no hard casing to protect the clothing contained therein from becoming wrinkled and important books or articles contained therein from being damaged.
The suitcase in general has a hard casing and its advantage and disadvantage are opposite those of soft handbags or luggage. Its advantage consists in a fixed space protected by its hard casing so as to keep the articles contained therein intact, and its disadvantage is that such a space is fixed and occupies a constant space at all times which cannot always be effectively used. Also such hard suitcases increase the manufacture's indirect cost for warehousing and shipping same, and the selling price of suitcases with hard casings are invariably increased for these reasons.